Socket retainer



April 1961 J. s. VAUGHN El'AL 2,979,354

SOCKET RETAINER Filed Aug. 7, 1959 INVENTORS JACK S. VAUGHN ELMER B IVETT THEIR TTORNEY United States Patent SOCKET RETAINER Jack S. Vaughn, Sayre, and Elmer B. Burnett, Monroeton, Pa., assignors to Ingersoll-Rand Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey This invention relates generally to rotary tools, and more particularly to the means of holding an attachment for such a tool releasably in driving relation with the driving end of the tool.

It is then an object of this invention to provide an improved detent arrangement for the driving end of a rotary tool, compared to the presently known detents in use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a detent arrangement for a rotary tool that is reliable and simple in structure.

The advantages of this invention will appear more fully from the following specification made in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a portion of a rotary tool with a socket wrench connected to the driving end of the tool including the detent arrangement. A portion of the driving end of the tool and the socket are shown in longitudinal section; and

Fig. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the detent arrangement taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, designates a portion of a rotary hand tool of a commonly known type having a rotary driving member 12 at its forward end' A socket wrench 14 of a commonly known snap-on type is releasably connected to the driving member 12 to be rotated therewith. The socket wrench 14 is releasably held in driving relation with the driving member 12 by means of a detent arrangement 16 including a pin 18 having its outer end portion 20 projecting from the side 22 of the working member 12 into a bore 24 drilled through the side of the socket 14.

According to this invention the detent arrangement 16 comprises an elongated spring member 26 inserted in a bore 28 leading from the forward end 30 towards the rear end of the driving member 12 and drilled coaxially relative to the longitudinal axis of the driving member 12. A second bore 32 is drilled substantially perpendicular to the axis of the first bore 28 leading from one of the sides of the driving member 12, in this case from the side 22, into the bore 28.

The spring member 26 is shaped substantially like the letter W having outer arms 34 and inner arms 36, the width and the tension between the outer arms 34 of the spring 26 being such that, when the spring 26 is inserted in the bore 28, the outer arms 34 of the spring are in firm contact with the periphery of the bore 28. It is to be noted that, preferably, the spring is to be positioned in a pattern as shown in Fig. 2, however, the arms 34 and 36 of the spring 26 may be positioned at either side of the transverse center line or at the transverse center line of the bore 28 without affecting the resiliency or effectiveness of the spring 26. The outer arms 34 may be held in position by grooves or ridges in the bore 28.

The pin 18 has its inner end portion 38 projecting into the bore 28. The inner end portion 38 is shaped substantially like the letter T and adapted to be forced between the inner arms 36 of the spring 26. When the inner end por- Patented Apr. 11, 1961 tion 38 of the pin 18and the spring 26 are interlocked, the pin 18 is held resiliently by the spring 26 and is permitted to be limitedly moved inwardly or outwardly relative to the side 22 and to the bore 28 of the driving member 12. As the diameter of the bore 32 is smaller than the diameter of the bore 28, the spring 26 is prevented from moving from the bore 28 into the-bore 32.

When the detent arrangement 16 is to be connected to the driving member 12, the spring 26 is first inserted into the bore 28 whereafter the pin 18' is inserted in the bore 32 from the outer end thereof tobe interlocked with the spring 26. It is to-benoted that, for practical reasons, the spring 26 is preferably to be inserted into the bore 28 such that the closed end 40 of the inner arms 36 of the spring 26 faces the forward end 30 of the bore 28, however, the spring 26 may be inserted into the bore 28 with its closedend 40 facing the rear end of the bore 28.

While I have shown and described a specific form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a driven member, a driving member to be releasably connected to the driven member, said driving member having a bore leading inwardly from the side of said driving member and a hole with a portion open to said bore, an element movably disposed in said bore insertable therein from said side only of said driving member having an end projecting outwardly from said side to engage the driven member and having the other end terminating in said hole, and spring means in said hole interlocked with said end of said element, said spring means being the sole means to hold said element resiliently against movement in either direction in said bore.

2. The device claimed in claim 1 in which said spring means comprises a spring member having a portion releasably connected to said element and portions contacting the side of said hole to prevent the spring from passing through said bore and out of said hole.

3. A detent for releasably connecting a driven member to a driving member, comprising a first bore in said driving member positioned coaxially relative to the longitudinal axis of said member, a second bore having a smaller diameter than said first bore positioned substantially perpendicular relative to said first bore having one end opening into said first bore and leading therefrom through the side of said driving member, an element slidably disposed in said second bore insertable therein from said side having only an end projecting outwardly from said side of said driving member to engage said driven member and the other end terminating in said first bore, said element having a maximum diameter no greater than the minimum diamter of said second bore, and means in said first bore to resiliently hold said other end of said element, said means being the sole means to resiliently hold said element against outward and inward movement relative to said first bore.

4. The device claimed in claim 3 in which said means in said first bore comprises a spring insertable into said first bore to engage the inner end of said element, and having a portion when the spring is in its operative position in said first bore overlapping said second bore to prevent the spring from passing through said second bore.

5. The combination of a driving member of substan' tially square cross sectional form having an axial cylindrical fisrt bore, said first bore leading from the forward end towards the rear end of said member, a second bore of uniform cross section positioned substantially perpendicular relative to said first bore and leading from one side only of said member into said first bore, a spring member in said first bore, an elongated cylindrical element slidably disposed in said second bore insertable therein from said one side only having an end portion projecting in said first bore and interlockingly connected to said spring member to be resiliently held in said second bore.

6. The device claimed in claim 5 in which said spring member is in the general form of the letter W having the outer side arms engaging the side of said first bore, and the central loop portion interlocked with said element.

7. The combination of a driving member releasably connected to a driven member, a first cylindrical bore in said driving member positioned coaxially relative to the longitudinal axis of said member, only one second bore in said driving member being of uniform cross section throughout its entire length positioned substantially perpendicular relative to said first bore leading inwardly from the side of said driving member into said first bore, an elongated element slidably disposed in said second bore having a maximum diameter smaller than the minimum diameter of said second bore to permit the element to be inserted into said second bore from the outer end thereof with one end terminating in said first bore, and spring means in said first bore connected to said end to retain the element in the second bore.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,571,001 Fenton Jan. 26, 1926 1,711,454 Carr Apr. 30, 1929 2,474,360 Jimerson June 28, 1949 2,721,090 Kaman Oct. 18, 1955 

